Precooling means for refrigerator cars



Dec. 5, 1933. I H, G|DD|NG$ 1,937,648

PRECOOLING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Jgly 26, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORT /\L1C'-u v v BhRTp A TTORNE YS.

Dec. 5, 1933.

H. GIDDINGS 1,937,648

PRECOOLING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed July 26, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, A41 j w ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 5, 1933. G|DD|NG$ 1,937,648

PRECOOLING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed July 2 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR,

MA fax; 6' BY v- ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 5, 1933 PRECOOLING REFRIGERATOR vHorace Giddings, San Francisco, Calif.

Application The present invention relates to refrigerator cars, and more particularly to means for initially and quickly cooling the cargo compartment and its lading.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means carried by the car itself but operated by outside electric power, for circulating the interior air of the car successively through its ice and lading compartments, so

latter, with its contents, will be rapidly cooled. This has the effect of cooling the lading as soon as it is placed in the car, or as soon as the car is iced, whichever step is done first,

be used instead of the more costly process of pre-cooling the lading in a separate refrigerating plant before it is loaded into the car. objects of the invention are to provide suitable means for directing the air in order maximum circulation; to provide suitable housings to protect the motors and circulating fans from water or brine dripping from the and to provide convenient electrical connecting means for supplying current to the motors.

I am aware that attempts have been made to circulate the air in a refrigerator car by mechanism operated by the movement of the car. Such apparatus is available only while the car is in motion. My apparatus, however, can be used while the car is standing and being loaded or iced, so that the lading is cooled immediately. Furthermore, it can be operated at any re-icing station along the cars route, to immediately recool the lading if its temperature has risen be cause of lack of ice.

I have herein shown my invention as embodied in a railway refrigerator car of standard construction, using ice as the refrigerant. It

will be apparent, however, that the may be applied, without material change, to

other types of refrigerator vehicles.

also be understood that the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts herein shown and described may be varied, within the limits of the claims hereto appended, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in said claims.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein ferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a partly broken transverse section,

enlarged, showing portions of one ice the bulkhead separating it from the cargo compartment.

July 26, 1932. Serial No. 624,734

Claims. (Cl. 6224) ice tank, on the same scale as Fig. 2.

the same scale as Fig. 2.

that the tutes the cargo compartment 16.

and may Other with a screen 19.

to insure ice tanks;

nels 24 on all sides of the ice tank.

.the ice.

partment is spaced below the roof.

A false or cargo floor consisting of invention It should tank and elude dripping water therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of one Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of one ice tank on The frame of each bulkhead consists of vertical posts 20, suitably supported by the shell of the car. The planking 17 and screen 19 are secured to the outside of said posts, and a perforated metal plate 21 is secured to the inside thereof, said plate forming the front wall of the ice tank. The side and rear walls of said tank are formed by screens 22 and 23, secured to posts 24 which in turn are secured to the sides and end of the car. This construction provides vertical air spaces or chan- The usual grate 25 is provided in the lower portion of the ice tank, suitably supported in spaced relation above the floor, and adapted to support the blocks of ice with which the tank is filled. A hatch 26 in the roof is provided for introducing The usual ceiling 27 for the cargo comspaced transverse slats 28 is supported by longitudinal stringers 29 resting upon the main floor 11 between the bulkheads. The height of said false floor above the main floor is approximately the same as the air space 18 at the bottom of the bulkhead, so that air can pass freely from within the ice compartment under said false floor.

Beneath each ice grate is a housing 30, having vertical side and rear walls 31, and a water tight cover 32 which preferably slopes downward toward both sides, as shown in Fig. 2, and which overhangs the front of the housing, as shown in Fig. 3. In the front wall 33 of said housing is positioneda fan" 34, driven by an electric motor 35, said motor being within the housing and protected thereby from the drip from the ice tank above it. The rear wall and the rear portion of the side walls of the housing are provided with louvers 36, which admit air to its interior but ex- In the drawings, the reference numerals 11, 12, 50 13 and 14 designate respectively the floor, roof, sides and ends of a standard refrigerator car. At its ends are the usual refrigerant compartments or ice tanks 15. The remainder of the car consti- The ice tanks 15 extend across the entire width of the car, and are separated frorfi the cargo compartment 16 by bulkheads, which are covered withsolid planking 1'7 except for a narrow space 18 at the bottom and a wider space near the top, which is provided A forwardly and downwardly extending funnel 37 is secured to the front of the housing 30, and terminates in'a low wide mouth 38 which directs the air from the fan 34 under the false floor 28. Diagonal braces 39 extend from the lower front portion of the housing upwardly and outwardly to the bulkhead, and longitudinal braces 40 extend between the lower portion of the bulkhead and the end wall of the car. A drip pan 41, provided with the usual drains 42, covers the floor beneath the ice tank, and suitable supporting spacers 43 are positioned between said pan and the bottom 44 of the motor housing 30.

The power wires for each motor are led out to one side of the car and thence upwardly in suitable conduits 45. A conduit 46 running the entire length of one sideof the car connects the two conduits 45, and the wires from both motors are led through said conduits to a connection box 47 positionedon-the outside of the car near one end and near the roof, where it is easily accessible from the usual platform, not shown, of an icing plant. The connection box 47 is adapted tom- 7 ceive a suitable detachable plug 48, Fig. 2, by

- the bulkhead, thence downwardly through said 108 tank and the vertical spaces in ing which time louvers 36.

r housing 30,

beneath the which the fan motors of power such as the are connected to aKsOurce lighting orpower circuit The above described arrangeit enables the man both fans, merely by plugging in the detachable :onnector 48, at any time during the icing operaion.

It will be readily understood that when the fans 34 are running, warm. air from the top of the cargo. compartmentis drawn into the ice tanks through the space above the solid portion 17 of its walls, dur it is cooled by the ice within said tank, thence into the housing 30 through its From said housing the coolwair "is forced out through the funnel 37 into the space cargo floor.28, whence it rises through and around the cargo, thus completing its circuit.

By. the use of the false floor 28 and the funner assured.- The- 37, adequate circulation of air is with its tight cover 3.; and its air inlet louvers 36, not any protects the motor from water, but insures drawing the air from the coldest region of the ice tank, which is its lower rear portion. j The use of electric motors, driven by outside. power, enables the cargo compartment to be quickly cooled while it is being loaded, or while the,

car is being iced, or at any other time when it is standing within reach of an electric power circuit, thus providing an eflicient and simple means for pre-cooling the cargo, and eliminating the necessity of separate and costly plants for this purpose.

I claim 2,-

1. In a refrigerator car having a refrigerant compartment and a cargo compartment, a bulk-' head separating said compartments, said bulkhead from the floor and roof of the car;

ment spaced above the main floor; a fan in the lower portion of therefrigerant compartment,

said fan having an air inlet positioned to receive air from said refrigerantcompartment; a directing funnel forming the air outlet for said fan, 1

of the refrigerant compartment and provided with an air inlet; a directing funnel forming an air outlet for said housing, said funnel having a low wide mouth adjacent the floor of the car to direct the air beneath said bulkhead into the cargo compartment; a fanwithin said housing;

and a motor for driving said fan, said motor being inclosed within said housing.

3. In a refrigerator car having an ice tank and a cargo compartment, a grate in-said ice tank; a housing beneath said spaced from the walls of the car and having air grate, said housing being.

, inlet apertures in its rear portion; a water-tight cover for said housing; a fan in said housings means inclosed within said housing for driving said fan; and a funnel forming an air outlet for said housing, said funnel extending from the front of said housing and having a low wide mouth adjacent the floor of the car for directing the air from said fan into the lower region of the cargo compartment. r

4. Ina refrigerator car havingan ice tank and a cargo compartment, a grate in said ice tank; a housing beneath said grate, said housing being spaced from the walls of the car and having louvers in is rear portion forming air inlet aper- 1 tures protected against the entrance of water' dripping from said grate; a water-tight cover for said housing; a fan mounted in the front wall of said housing; means inclosed within said housing for driving said fan; and a funnel forming an air ou" let for said housing, said funnel extend-. ing from the front of; said housing and directing the air from said fan into the lower region of the cargo compartment. c

5. In a refrigerator car having a cargo compartment and an ice tank, said tank having a filling hatch in the upperportion of the car; a grate in said ice tank; a fan beneath said grate; a housing for saidfan having an inlet positioned to receive air from said ice tank and an outlet positioned to delivertheair into the lower portion of said cargo compartment; an electric motor for driving said fan; aseparable electric conbeing such as to permitjts manipulation by an operator engaged in icing the car through said hatchrand electric conducting means between said connector and said motor.

' HORACE GIDDINGS. 

